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儿童英语读物 The Mystery Bookstore Chapter 10 Benny and Violet Hide Out

时间:2017-08-16 06:56来源:互联网 提供网友:qing   字体: [ ]
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By seven o’clock on Saturday morning, the sun was up. It was a perfect day for an outdoor book sale. In just a couple hours, the Mystery Bookstore would be ready for its first customers.

“It’s almost your last day in New Orleans, so I don’t want to work you children too hard,” Miss Chase said as she enjoyed a cup of her favorite chicory coffee. “You’ve all done so much already. Now that your grandfather is back, he’s offered to take over some of the work so you children can do some last-minute sightseeing.”

Mr. Alden put down his coffee cup. “If I know my grandchildren, I have a feeling they’d rather be at the bookstore sale than go sightseeing, Olivia.”

“That’s right, Grandfather,” Benny agreed. “We’re going sightseeing right here. Today’s the day we find the rest of Violet’s set and maybe that funny backwards1 stamp, too.”

Mr. Alden laughed. “You’d better bring me up to date on all your plans, Benny.”

“Violet and I thought up everything last night,” Benny said. “We’re going to hide under the children’s book table and listen to who snoops around too much.”

“I see,” Mr. Alden said. “And who might be snooping about?”

Benny took a deep breath. “Well, first there’s Mr. Bindry. He came for the job before it was in the newspaper.”

“Don’t forget Sarah Deckle,” Henry reminded everyone. “She always shows up at odd times.”

“Her, too,” Benny said. “And Mr. Phillips ’cause he likes stamps, and the backwards stamp is missing. If anybody else gets too snoopy, we’re going to watch them, too.”

“You’re going to be very busy,” Mr. Alden remarked.

“And know what else?” Benny asked. “We tied one end of a spool2 of thread to The Little Mermaid3. You can hardly see it. If anybody tries to take it away, we’ll be able to tell.”

“Just don’t sell it by mistake,” Miss Chase reminded the children.

“Oh, we won’t,” Violet said.

“It’s almost nine o’clock,” Miss Chase said. “Now I want you children to have some fun today and not work too hard. Promise?”

“Promise,” Jessie said. “But work is fun for us.”

Working at the book sale was fun for the Aldens, just as Jessie said. Since they loved reading mysteries — and solving them — Jessie and Henry decided4 to work at the mystery table.

“People sure get up early when there’s a sale,” Henry said, after he let the first customers into the courtyard. “We’re going to be very busy.”

“So are we,” Violet giggled5 from under the children’s book table nearby. “All I can see are feet, Benny. Jessie said she’d tap on the top of the table if one of our suspects comes in.”

Violet and Benny didn’t have to wait long.

“One tap!” Benny whispered to Violet when they heard Jessie rap6 the table once. “That means Mr. Bindry is coming over. Do you have the spool end of the thread?”

“I’m holding it.” Violet tugged8 the thread gently from under the table.

“Good morning, Mr. Bindry,” the younger children overheard9 Jessie say only a couple feet away. “Can I help you with anything this morning?”

“Hrmph,” Mr. Bindry said before moving over to the children’s table.

Violet and Benny could hardly sit still when they saw Mr. Bindry’s shoes just inches from where they were hiding. Violet held tight to the thread.

Then the children heard another pair of feet march over to the children’s table. Jessie tapped the table twice.

“It’s Sarah Deckle,” Benny whispered.

Violet felt a tug7 on the thread.

“What are you doing with that book, Miss?” Mr. Bindry asked. “I was about to buy it.”

“Well, I picked it up first,” Sarah Deckle answered.

Benny and Violet heard more footsteps. Then they saw a familiar pair of white and black sneakers.

“It’s Henry,” Benny whispered.

“Sorry, folks,” Henry said. “This book isn’t for sale. It belongs to my sister. The rest of the set is missing, and we’re hoping someone will come by who knows about the set it belongs to.”

Violet and Benny saw Sarah Deckle kick her toe at the ground. “Well, maybe your sister would like to sell it. I’ll pay a hundred dollars just for this book.”

Before Henry could answer, Mr. Bindry had some angry words for Miss Deckle. “A hundred dollars? What do you know about books, anyway? This volume may be part of a limited edition set illustrated11 by Arthur Plumbrush, a famous painter. They were the only books he ever illustrated. The first printing completely sold out long ago, and the original art was destroyed in a fire. So the books could never be reprinted. A complete set would be nearly priceless.”

“But Mr. Bindry, you told Violet her book wasn’t worth much,” Henry said. “Don’t you remember?”

“What I remember is saying children and old books don’t mix,” Mr. Bindry snapped12. “I’m going to check with Olivia to see why this book is just lying around in the first place.”

Sarah Deckle looked as upset as Mr. Bindry. “Yes, do that,” she said. “I’ll be right here until you get back.”

After Mr. Bindry left with Henry, the book sale got crowded. Benny and Violet could see many pairs of feet surrounding the book tables. Sarah Deckle’s feet, though, never moved.

A few minutes later the younger children heard a familiar voice talking to Jessie. “Hello, young lady. I came by to buy a signed copy of The Streetcar Mystery,” Mr. Phillips said to Jessie. “But I see there are none left. Can you check if Miss Chase has any more copies inside the shop?”

“Uh, maybe,” Jessie said, “but I really can’t leave until my brother Henry returns. He’ll be back any second.”

“I’ll wait here,” Mr. Phillips said. “You see, I’m in a bit of a rush today, and I’d like to get the signed copy. If you could just get Miss Chase to sign a book, I can be on my way.”

“Well, okay,” Jessie agreed. “Oops, I have to tie my shoe.”

When Jessie bent13 down, she whispered to Benny and Violet: “I have to run into the shop for another book. Just make sure to hold onto that thread. Now Mr. Phillips and Sarah Deckle are here. I’ll be right back.”

As soon as Jessie was gone, Benny and Violet heard Rex Phillips talking in a low voice to Sarah Deckle. This time he didn’t sound so polite. “Drop the book into my briefcase14. Quick, before those two nosy15 kids get back. Did you find the rest of the set in the apartment this morning?”

“No,” Sarah Deckle whispered. “But if we’re lucky, maybe the stamp is in this one. We can look for the rest of the set later when all these kids are busy working. Open your briefcase slowly, and I’ll slip the book in.”

Violet and Benny could hardly sit still in their hideout. Miss Deckle and Mr. Phillips were going to steal Violet’s book together! The children felt the thread pull, so Violet let out the spool.

“Good,” Mr. Phillips said in a low voice. “Now let’s get out of here before anyone comes back and figures out the book is missing.”

Violet broke the thread so Mr. Phillips wouldn’t notice it was attached to the book. She grabbed16 Benny’s hand. “Here’s what we do. I’ll sneak10 over to the courtyard door and close it so they can’t get out that way. You go to the bookshop and tell Miss Chase what happened, okay?”

After Benny ran off, Violet didn’t have to wait long for her two suspects.

“Excuse me, we have to leave.” Mr. Phillips tried to get by Violet. “Just open the door.”

“I’m sorry, I can’t do that,” Violet said. “Everybody has to go out through the bookshop.”

Sarah Deckle’s face got red. “Rex! You’ve got a key. Open up.”

Rex reached into his pocket and pulled out the same key chain Violet had seen him drop a few days earlier. “Move out of the way,” he said to Violet.

Violet didn’t move.

Sarah Deckle looked panicked. “All right. Let’s just get out through the bookstore.”

Rex Phillips didn’t need to be coaxed17. He and Sarah elbowed their way through the crowd of customers until they were in the bookstore.

“It’s too late,” Sarah Deckle said when she saw the Aldens, Mr. Bindry, and Miss Chase blocking their way.

“Stop right there, Rex!” Miss Chase said. “I need to check your briefcase before you leave. We have reason to suspect you’ve taken a book.” She pointed18 to a sign above the cash register that said: “We reserve the right to inspect belongings19. Shoplifters will be prosecuted20 to the full extent of the law.”

Mr. Phillips had no choice. There seemed to be Aldens everywhere he looked. Finally, he handed over his briefcase to Olivia Chase.

Miss Chase opened it. The Little Mermaid was resting right on top of the old newspaper.

“Oh, my,” Mr. Bindry gasped21, “it really is the last book in the Plumbrush set. May I examine it, Olivia?”

Miss Chase stepped between Mr. Bindry and the book. “What do you know about the rest of the set, Ezra? Tell me right now.”

Mr. Bindry seemed dizzy and confused. He leaned against the counter to steady himself. “The other three books are in the trunk of my car. Here, take my keys and get them, young man,” Mr. Bindry said to Henry.

Henry was back in a minute with Violet’s set.

“Here, young lady,” Mr. Bindry said, handing all the books to Violet. “The set is rightfully yours. I know you’ll treasure it because you’re a book lover, too.”

Violet’s hands were shaking when she took the books from Mr. Bindry. “How did you get the other three?”

“I took them last night while all of you were out. I’m sorry. I still had a set of keys Mabel gave me. Please understand. I just had to see those books once Violet said The Little Mermaid was part of a set. I don’t know how I missed them in Mabel’s shop during my many visits.”

“I found them mixed in with the hobby books, Mr. Bindry,” Violet explained.

Now it was Mr. Phillips’s turn to speak. “That’s just another one of Mabel’s cruel jokes on me! She was always teasing22 me about having valuable stamps and making me hunt down clues. I’d heard stories that she even had the famous Costa Rican flag stamp. I’m more of a stamp expert than any of the writers of those worthless hobby books, so I never bothered to check that section.”

“What made you think the stamp might be connected with the fairy tales, Rex?” Miss Chase asked.

Mr. Phillips’s eyes looked hard and angry. “It kept driving me crazy when she said stamp collecting was child’s play or that those old stories about the famous stamp were just fairy tales.”

“Where do you come in, Sarah?” Miss Chase wanted to know.

“Miss Post bought the flag stamp at my grandfather’s for one dollar! One dollar!” Sarah Deckle began. “My poor grandfather didn’t even know he had such a valuable stamp lying around. After he died, it was just thrown in with these old books and sold off in a yard sale! When I found an old newspaper in some family papers showing Miss Post with the stamp, well, I just had to get it back. I found out Rex knew all about stamps, so I showed him the newspaper.”

“That’s how I narrowed my search down to these books,” Rex explained. “We followed the Aldens all week. Sarah nearly got hold of one of the books at Jackson Square, but it looks like Mr. Bindry beat us to the rest of the set.”

“I’m sorry, Olivia,” Mr. Bindry apologized. “I just had to see if you really had the entire Plumbrush set. I was hiding under the stairs in the courtyard early in the week when you told the Aldens you were going to advertise for a book expert. Only I showed up too soon, as these smart children figured out. Then Henry here caught me poking23 around when I thought you were all out to lunch the other day.”

“Were you the person we saw run from the shop? We also had the feeling someone was looking around while we were sleeping,” Henry said.

Mr. Bindry nodded his head. “I did come up the stairs while you were out to dinner. That’s when I took the three books. But bother sleeping children? Never!”

“That was me,” Sarah Deckle confessed. “I didn’t mean to scare anyone. I just waited until everyone was asleep after you got back from sightseeing. Rex also had a set of Miss Post’s keys. I let myself into the courtyard and came up to the sleeping porch24. But, of course, the three books were already gone. I knew one of them was in Jessie’s pack, but I didn’t dare look for it at night. I came back in the morning, but the set was still gone. And I couldn’t find Jessie’s backpack.”

“Never mind who did what with these books,” Rex Phillips said. “What I want to know is, where is the flag stamp?”

Mr. Bindry picked up The Little Mermaid. He stroked the book gently then opened to the back of the book. He ran his fingers over the endpapers. No one dared to breathe. Mr. Bindry reached into his pocket and pulled out a small knife with a razor-thin blade. He put the blade under the endpaper and slowly lifted it away from the cover.

“The glue is all dried out,” he said. “It’s going to come right up.”

And so it did. When Mr. Bindry lifted the endpaper, everyone gasped.

“There’s the stamp!” Rex Phillips said, barely25 whispering. “Don’t touch it. It’s extremely fragile26. What are you doing with that book, for heaven’s sake?”

Mr. Bindry handed the book, stamp and all, to Violet. “It’s rightfully yours, young lady. Take good care of it.”

Violet took the book from Mr. Bindry and offered it to Miss Chase. “I want to give it back to you. You can sell the stamp and the books and buy your shop right now. Please take it back.”

Miss Chase put her arm around Violet. “I should report Rex and Miss Deckle to the police. But they’ll be more useful by helping27 me find out how we can sell this beautiful stamp. I may even share the money with Sarah Deckle to settle things with her family. But I want you to keep the fairy tales, Violet — the whole set.”

Violet smiled. “Only if you’ll display them at the Mystery Bookstore. That way I can see the books whenever we come to New Orleans.”

Miss Chase turned to Mr. Bindry. “Ezra, I know you’ve returned the books, but I can’t help feeling terribly let down. After all, you and I have known each other for years. I don’t see how we can work together now, I really don’t.”

Mr. Bindry looked crushed. “I don’t blame you, Olivia. I put my own interest ahead of everyone. Please accept my deepest apology. I wish you would give me a chance to make it up to you.”

Miss Chase stared at Mr. Bindry for a very long time. “How could you do that, Ezra, after all that’s happened?”

“I could put together a rare-book collection of mysteries for your store, that’s what you could let me do, Olivia,” Mr. Bindry suggested. “I don’t read most of the books I collect, but I do know I have quite a valuable collection of rare mysteries myself. I’d like to give them to you for sale in your Mystery Bookstore. May I do that, Olivia?”

Miss Chase took a while to answer, but when she did, she was smiling. “Of course, Ezra. I know your collection would draw many mystery lovers to my new shop. Perhaps you and I can try to start over after all.”

“Hey! What about a mystery from my collection?” Benny piped up.

“Now what mystery is that, young fellow?” Mr. Bindry asked.

Benny crinkled his forehead. “Well, it’s not even written yet, but it will be. It’s going to be about two brothers and two sisters who hear about a missing backwards stamp hidden in some old books. But the books get stolen and everything, and the kids have to find them. What do you think?”

Everyone laughed, including Mr. Bindry. “Now that’s one mystery I’ll actually have to read.”


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 backwards BP9ya     
adv.往回地,向原处,倒,相反,前后倒置地
参考例句:
  • He turned on the light and began to pace backwards and forwards.他打开电灯并开始走来走去。
  • All the girls fell over backwards to get the party ready.姑娘们迫不及待地为聚会做准备。
2 spool XvgwI     
n.(缠录音带等的)卷盘(轴);v.把…绕在卷轴上
参考例句:
  • Can you wind this film back on to its spool?你能把这胶卷卷回到卷轴上去吗?
  • Thomas squatted on the forward deck,whistling tunelessly,polishing the broze spool of the anchor winch.托马斯蹲在前甲板上擦起锚绞车的黄铜轴,边擦边胡乱吹着口哨。
3 mermaid pCbxH     
n.美人鱼
参考例句:
  • How popular would that girl be with the only mermaid mom!和人鱼妈妈在一起,那个女孩会有多受欢迎!
  • The little mermaid wasn't happy because she didn't want to wait.小美人鱼不太高兴,因为她等不及了。
4 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
参考例句:
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
5 giggled 72ecd6e6dbf913b285d28ec3ba1edb12     
v.咯咯地笑( giggle的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The girls giggled at the joke. 女孩子们让这笑话逗得咯咯笑。
  • The children giggled hysterically. 孩子们歇斯底里地傻笑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
6 rap SABzi     
n.轻敲,拍击,责骂,厉声说出,说唱音乐,谈话,最少量;vi.轻敲,敲门,表演说唱音乐,畅谈;vt.抓,抢,拍击
参考例句:
  • I heard a rap on the door.我听到有轻轻的敲门声。
  • Today we are going to rap about relationships.今天我们要聊聊关系的问题。
7 tug 5KBzo     
v.用力拖(或拉);苦干;n.拖;苦干;拖船
参考例句:
  • We need to tug the car round to the front.我们需要把那辆车拉到前面。
  • The tug is towing three barges.那只拖船正拖着三只驳船。
8 tugged 8a37eb349f3c6615c56706726966d38e     
v.用力拉,使劲拉,猛扯( tug的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • She tugged at his sleeve to get his attention. 她拽了拽他的袖子引起他的注意。
  • A wry smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. 他的嘴角带一丝苦笑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
9 overheard overheard     
adj. 串音的, 偶而听到的 动词overhear的过去式和过去分词形式
参考例句:
  • We talked quietly so as not to be overheard. 我们低声交谈,以免别人听到。
  • I told Lucy the news under my breath, but Joyce overheard me. 我低声地把这个消息告诉露西,可还是被乔伊斯听到了。
10 sneak vr2yk     
vt.潜行(隐藏,填石缝);偷偷摸摸做;n.潜行;adj.暗中进行
参考例句:
  • He raised his spear and sneak forward.他提起长矛悄悄地前进。
  • I saw him sneak away from us.我看见他悄悄地从我们身边走开。
11 illustrated 2a891807ad5907f0499171bb879a36aa     
adj. 有插图的,列举的 动词illustrate的过去式和过去分词
参考例句:
  • His lecture was illustrated with slides taken during the expedition. 他在讲演中使用了探险时拍摄到的幻灯片。
  • The manufacturing Methods: Will be illustrated in the next chapter. 制作方法将在下一章说明。
12 snapped 049d092795475d08a3fcd2d16ef4b519     
v.猛地咬住( snap的过去式和过去分词 );(使某物)发出尖厉声音地突然断裂[打开,关闭];厉声地说;拍照
参考例句:
  • The wind had snapped the tree in two. 风把树喀嚓一声刮断了。
  • He lost his temper and snapped irritably at the children. 他发火了,暴躁地斥责孩子们。 来自《简明英汉词典》
13 bent QQ8yD     
n.爱好,癖好;adj.弯的;决心的,一心的
参考例句:
  • He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
  • We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。
14 briefcase lxdz6A     
n.手提箱,公事皮包
参考例句:
  • He packed a briefcase with what might be required.他把所有可能需要的东西都装进公文包。
  • He requested the old man to look after the briefcase.他请求那位老人照看这个公事包。
15 nosy wR0zK     
adj.鼻子大的,好管闲事的,爱追问的;n.大鼻者
参考例句:
  • Our nosy neighbours are always looking in through our windows.好管闲事的邻居总是从我们的窗口望进来。
  • My landlord is so nosy.He comes by twice a month to inspect my apartment.我的房东很烦人,他每个月都要到我公寓视察两次。
16 grabbed grabbed     
v.抢先,抢占( grab的过去式和过去分词 );(尤指匆忙地)取;攫取;(尤指自私、贪婪地)捞取
参考例句:
  • He was grabbed by two men and frogmarched out of the hall. 他被两个男人紧抓双臂押出大厅。
  • She grabbed the child's hand and ran. 她抓住孩子的手就跑。
17 coaxed dc0a6eeb597861b0ed72e34e52490cd1     
v.哄,用好话劝说( coax的过去式和过去分词 );巧言骗取;哄劝,劝诱
参考例句:
  • She coaxed the horse into coming a little closer. 她哄着那匹马让它再靠近了一点。
  • I coaxed my sister into taking me to the theatre. 我用好话哄姐姐带我去看戏。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
18 pointed Il8zB4     
adj.尖的,直截了当的
参考例句:
  • He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
  • She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。
19 belongings oy6zMv     
n.私人物品,私人财物
参考例句:
  • I put a few personal belongings in a bag.我把几件私人物品装进包中。
  • Your personal belongings are not dutiable.个人物品不用纳税。
20 prosecuted Wk5zqY     
a.被起诉的
参考例句:
  • The editors are being prosecuted for obscenity. 编辑因刊载污秽文字而被起诉。
  • The company was prosecuted for breaching the Health and Safety Act. 这家公司被控违反《卫生安全条例》。
21 gasped e6af294d8a7477229d6749fa9e8f5b80     
v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 );喘息;倒抽气;很想要
参考例句:
  • She gasped at the wonderful view. 如此美景使她惊讶得屏住了呼吸。
  • People gasped with admiration at the superb skill of the gymnasts. 体操运动员的高超技艺令人赞叹。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
22 teasing b0a55d9bbec76684d03d555d84e3ad65     
adj.戏弄的,逗趣的v.取笑,戏弄( tease的现在分词 );梳理(羊毛等)
参考例句:
  • Don't get upset—I was only teasing. 别不高兴,我只是在逗你玩。
  • I didn't think you meant that seriously;I thought you were teasing. 我未想到你是当真的,我原以为你是开玩笑的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
23 poking poking     
n. 刺,戳,袋 vt. 拨开,刺,戳 vi. 戳,刺,捅,搜索,伸出,行动散慢
参考例句:
  • He was poking at the rubbish with his stick. 他正用手杖拨动垃圾。
  • He spent his weekends poking around dusty old bookshops. 他周末都泡在布满尘埃的旧书店里。
24 porch ju9yM     
n.门廊,入口处,走廊,游廊
参考例句:
  • There are thousands of pages of advertising on our porch.有成千上万页广告堆在我们的门廊上。
  • The porch is supported by six immense pillars.门廊由六根大柱子支撑着。
25 barely gyFz0w     
adv.仅仅,几乎没有,几乎不
参考例句:
  • The male bird is barely distinguishable from the female.雄鸟和雌鸟几乎无法辨别。
  • He took barely enough money to keep the children in bread.他赚很少的钱仅够孩子们勉强糊口。
26 fragile gfzzs     
adj.易碎的,脆的,易损坏的,虚弱的,脆弱的
参考例句:
  • The old lady was increasingly fragile after her operation.那位老太太手术后身体越来越虚弱。
  • This glass disc looks very fragile.这个玻璃盘子看起来很容易碎。
27 helping 2rGzDc     
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的
参考例句:
  • The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
  • By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。
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